Black History Month

Hey! I’m really happy to announce the official start of Black History Month. This year, the Students’ Union and the University are taking a collaborative approach to bring you a yearlong campaign to celebrate Black History. This year we will be looking at it from a different lens. Black history is more than just a month. It is not solely about the past, but also about how history influences both our present and future, which is why this year the theme is we are black history, past, present and future. Having collaborated closely with the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Team at the University, we are excited to announce that there will be a range of events for students and staff looking at the black experience from an intersectional lens. This includes events exploring a range of themes such as stop and search, queer experiences in the black community, as well as events celebrating black culture.

As a black gay student from Mozambique I got involved in the Students’ Union through membership of the LGBT+ Society, becoming an Equality & Liberation Champion and eventually getting elected as your full-time Equality & Liberation Officer. I got involved because I saw an opportunity to create a space that did not exist before for students like me. Intersectionality should be at the heart of liberation. Black history is a fundamental part of feminist history, of Islamic history and of the LGBT+ struggle.

I hope you are able to appreciate this and I look forward to welcoming you all for all the events, panels and workshops we have organised for the month!